What stands out worked out from the figures below

Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Bow has the highest household income ($173k).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Laconia	Bow
People
Population	17,085Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.3±3.9Highest 5% above NH	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH
	Laconia and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%	17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	60.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Bow and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH	$9,584Highest 44% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 120 in NH	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Laconia School District	Bow School District
High school in town	Laconia High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NH average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.